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Thursday, November 21, 2013

By Elaine James –
I find myself wondering how to respond to overload in my life. I
imagine you have found yourself in situations where you are not sure
what to do either.
Maybe you can identify with a day like this. My dogs are driving me
crazy because they are starved for attention. They keep following me
everywhere. I walk around the house and see the sink full of dirty
dishes, garbage that needs to be emptied, laundry piled up, clutter
everywhere I look. There is a stack of mail on the counter with bills
that need to be paid. Depressing! My kids are griping “Mom there is no
food.” I need to get to the grocery store. I look at my cell phone and
there are voicemails, emails and texts that I did not respond to.
My son just left the house stressed about the long road trip he was
venturing out on. I glanced at my calendar and saw writing deadlines and
doctor appointments. I don’t want to even mention the flip-flop in my
stomach when I saw Thanksgiving and Christmas coming around the corner.
The thought of figuring out who we will spend the Holidays with gives me
the willies. It conjures up the nerve-racking thoughts of who is
talking to whom. I ask myself “Why can’t we just all get along? Why is
so and so always crabby at Holidays?” Blah, blah, blah…Need I go on?
What does the bible teach us on how to respond to overload? Paul was
stoned and dragged out of the city, supposing him to be dead.
“However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went
into the city…strengthening the soul of the disciples, exhorting them
to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘We must through many tribulations
enter the kingdom of God’” (Acts 14:20-22 NKJV).
Having faith through the power of the Holy Spirit gives us immunity
to life’s struggles. Paul had super-human power to endure suffering that
we may never experience. Acknowledging his true faith strengthened him.
The faith Paul talked about does not preempt us from suffering. Jesus
also addressed the issue of how to respond. The Father gave Jesus the
faith to believe in Himself so much so that he rose up and went to the
cross. The King within each of us gives us the faith to rise up and
carry on.
Next time you aren’t sure what to do, ask yourself this question,
“Can God give me enough faith to rise up and carry on?” Imagine what
would happen in our world if we all had faith to believe God will give
us strength to rise up and carry on.
PRAYER: Our Father in heaven I know that all I need is the faith of a
mustard seed to be able to accomplish things daily. Help me to rise up
and carry on daily. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Monday, November 18, 2013

By Elaine James -
While sitting at a Senior Choral practice a frail elderly gentleman
turned to me and asked, “What is the will of God for your life?”
I wondered how to respond to this kind man. To me it is a loaded
question with many possible answers, but I chose to respond “to be a
child of Jesus.”
He blinked and gently spoke, “First Thessalonians 5:16-22: rejoice
always, pray constantly and give thanks under all circumstances. Know
the love of God. Don’t despise prophesying. Test all things. Do well.
Refrain from sin. Reach out to Jesus.”
I can only imagine that you have found yourself in similar situations
where you weren’t sure what to do or say either. People may have been
asking you “Do you believe God exists?” “Who is Jesus and what does he
mean to you?” or, “How do you live out the will of the Father?”

In the book of Thessalonians Paul was exhorting the Church on
various ways to seek to honor and reflect God in everything they think,
say, or do. I think of it like this: when you go for a wellness check-up
the doctor asks you questions about how you take care of yourself. Many
times a doctor has a check-list of questions.You, like the doctor, can
examine yourself and call it “The will of God checklist”.Ask yourself these questions:
1. Do I rejoice always?
2. Do I pray continually?
3. Do I give thanks under all circumstances?
4. Do I know the love of God?
5. Do I test all things?
6. Do I refrain from sin?
Our answers just need to be honest. God is not grading us. He reminds
us gently what His will is for our lives. He is not forcing His will
onto us. He loves us and gently guides us. He wants us to do well this
side of heaven.
What would happen in our churches if all of us began to model the will of our Father in heaven?
PRAYER: Father give me the courage to examine this checklist. Help
me to be honest and desire to live out the will You have for my life. In
Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

“And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD
Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their
voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with
smoke “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean
lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen
the King, the LORD Almighty” (Isaiah 6:3-5 NIV).
The realization. The admission. Recognition. What a time in Isaiah’s
life. Reading this verse brought to me the memory of when I dealt with
how unclean I was. It was a somewhat gloomy time when I came to grips
with my sin, but learned to rejoice.
You’re probably wondering how. Think about it! Awareness is the
beginning stage of healing. In Isaiah 6:10, the Lord expounds, “They
might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their
hearts, and turn and be healed” (NIV). I found physical and mental
healing.
At one point I just became determined to rid myself of my whole
history of sin and confess it to God. I asked God to reveal to me my
sins of the past and present. Be careful, if you choose to ask. Be sure
you mean it because God is faithful to do it. Not because He is a mean
God. Quite the contrary! He loves the intimacy!
God began to reveal even the smallest of sins. An example was when I
was driving and merged into another lane. The driver in the car behind
me made a nasty gesture. I stopped and thought “I am guilty of that same
sin.” Remorse touched my soul, and instead of raging back at the
person, I saw my own sin.
The revelation of my sin continued for weeks. My journal was getting
full. I cried. I felt as if I was in the accelerated program called
“Advanced Admission of Sins.” Well thank goodness there was absolution.
It is called forgiveness, and I graciously accepted it. Ahhh- Grace! The
thing I did not deserve. I was getting to know God, there was more room
in my heart for Him. He does not spare grace. No! He pours it out. It
overflows from my head to my toes.
What does all this mean? I rejoice now, knowing forgiveness! I try to
extend that same forgiveness to others. I pray now for those who wrong
me or even when I see someone do something wrong. I pray that they will
discover the same truth about grace. I learned to hate the sin not the
sinner.
There is a body lotion called “Gloomaway.” The product name is cute. I
like to use it. It is refreshing. God’s my true “Gloomaway.” After I
spend time with Him, I always feel as if He soothed my soul.
Prayer: Father thank You for Your forgiveness. Your love is amazing. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Topics Elaine Speaks On

Put Your Thoughts on a Shelf

Your closets may be clean, your spices in alphabetical order, but how’s the space between your ears? When the pace of life leaves little time to process and organize our thoughts, our minds can become cluttered with “woulda, shoulda, coulda”. When the temptation to put ourselves down or compare ourselves to others strikes, defeat and condemnation can lure us into faulty thinking,

Through humor and drama Elaine shows what a chaotic mind looks like. Listen as she helps to identify “stinkin’ thinkin’ and what the Bible has to say about it. Then learn about the tools God has given us to overcome these thoughts and move to become the person God created you to be.

Personalities Plus

Do you find yourself trying to change the people around you? Frustrating, isn’t it? Why can’t everyone be just like me? But do you really know yourself? Take the test; find out what makes you you. Understanding ourselves – and others – better allows us to change what we can and live with what we can’t. Truly, a life changing experience. Elaine’s passion for teaching the personalities comes from the great success she has had personally in her own relationships, especially with her husband and children. She bases the teaching on Romans 12:18 If possible as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Elaine is a certified Personality Trained through Florence Littauer’s Classervices, Inc. Classervices, located in New Mexico, is a Christian Organization that teaches individuals how to speak and write professionally. They have been around for over 40 years.

The Greatest Gift Ever

Using a wrapped gift, Elaine demonstrates that Jesus Christ is the greatest Christmas gift ever given. Using Scripture and her testimony, Elaine clearly communicates the gospel message and invites listeners to receive this incredible gift from God. The Greatest Gift Ever is a wonderful message for a Christmas tea, or any other evangelistic event and can be customized with a skit for your special gathering. How can you create your testimony, so you can share with others?

LOVING GOD-We love because He first loved us. Busyness always keeps us from meeting with God, where our deepest satisfaction comes from. King David writes in Psalm 63 his desire toward God. His satisfaction in God. His dependence upon God, and assurance of safety. Elaine does a drama called “I Invite You Into My Sanctuary” describing the place where she sees God’s power and glory. She will challenge you to commit yourself to God, to be easy and pleased, and quiet from the fear of evil. Explore with her the answer to the questions “how and why David loved God more than his own life?”

Theater with a message:RUTH- There is many messages that can come through in the story of Ruth. As Ruth trusts God with her life she finds God blesses her and unimaginable and amazing things happen in her life (length of this one women show can be altered to fit the duration of any event).

THE INNKEEPERS DAUGHTER- A woman, Ana, tells her story of living and working at an Inn, where the miraculous event of Jesus’ birth occurred, and her life was changed forever.

A LOOK AT CHRISTMAS THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD- The wonder of childlike joy is expressed when three young sweet innocent sisters come together to read the Christmas story that always teaches them the rich beauty of Christmas. This year they realize they need a gift for the baby Jesus, what will it be?.